After a long awaited year, the Allied Health Building is done. As the newest edition to the San Diego Mesa College campus, it will host students who are continuing education in various medical fields.
The recently completed Allied Health Building is located near the parking structure. Construction began in May 2008 and was projected to finish in September 2009, but was completed about a month early.
The new building cost San Diego taxpayers $24.9 million.
The money for construction was granted through Proposition S, a $2.1 billion bond measure approved by San Diego County voters on November 4, 2008.
According to the San Diego Unified School District website, money was to allocated for the repair and renovation of district school facilities as specified in the ballot measure. The proposition allotted $27 million for the construction, although finished the building with $2 million to spare.
The three-story, 50,000 square-foot structure will be a training facility for Dental Assisting, Health Information Technology, Medical Assisting, Physical Therapy Assistant and Radiologic Technology.
These fields were named by the San Diego Workforce Partnership as part of the top 10 most in-demand fields through 2014. The building will provide classroom space for up-and-coming medical students to pursue their degrees and complete certificate programs.
The energy efficient design and features also help Allied Health exceed California’s Title 24 energy requirements by 7.4%.
The building was constructed to meet high green and environmental-friendly standards. It is presumed to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
Designed to maximize natural light resources, the Allied Heath Building uses ‘high performance’ glass that allows sunlight in through the windows while minimizing UV rays and heat that enter the building.
Parking for students using the Allied Health building and the Mesa campus will be subsided by parking lots projected to be finished in November 2009. Those lots are located above the football field, across the street from the parking structure. They will provide additional parking for Mesa students and will hopefully be able to compensate for increased student vehicles due to the Allied Health Center’s population.
Well-insulated walls and roof panels conserve energy and a comfortable temperature by maintaining a consistent climate within the building.
Most of the flooring is linoleum, which was produced with linseed oil–a natural substance that will help reduce the environmental footprint left from the construction process.
Some of the health center’s energy will be produced from photovoltaic panel on the parking structure which will increase energy efficiency cost savings to 58.7% compared to a standard building.